The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1887-12-02
blood.red and remarked, with an un-
comfortable smile:

@hA ASAhNAACu1 WASA "A ~A
comfortable smile:
"Your brother is playful"
After listening to his mortified sis
ter's rebuke, Acton left the house, de-
eia-:aS that Il sgas his intention To 20
down in the woods and see Billy"
Later, when the Judge had departed,
Alberta went out Tor a walk in the
same direction. The girl was losing
heart; she was afraid Acton could
never be cured. And what then? Was
her gallant, hot. tempered captain
never to come back to her? The
thought smote upon her heavy heart,
and a little farther on she sat downin
the billowy w~ire-grass and sobbed.
Hope came to her at last; she rose
and went on, and presently came upon
Acton. He was seated on the ground
with his legs apart and his back
against a log. "A strange smile played
about his face, and his eyes were in
tently fixed on something just before
him. One step nearer, and Alberta
saw that a snake was coiled Gp be-
tween the boys legs-an ugly yellow
ish snake which seemed to submit
peaceably to the caressing touch OF
the boys hand upon it's upliited
head.
Alberta knew a rattle-snake when
she saw one. Quite beside herself
with terror, she ran forward
screaming and calling her broth
er's name. Both boy and snake
were rudely startled-the one spring
ing up with an impatient cry, the 9th
er lifting higher its ugly head and send
ing a wave-like motion throughout all
it's trembling yellow-brown coils. Al
berta came on ss near as she dared,
still screaming and calling Acton
to run away? And then, before they
knew it, the hideous rattle sounded
and the angry snake struck out and
bit the boy on the right foot just
above the low shoe.top. He had al
ready taken a step toward his shrek
ing sister, and now, pausing only to
give one backward reproachful glance
at his false-hearted playfellow, the
boy moved on.
''Alberta, what made you holler
and Billy for?" he asked, in pet
ulant reproof. "Now he's gone and
bit me-"
"Bitten you-oh, Actonl What
were you doing with it?" She caught
him in her arms and looked about
wildly for the snake, but the angry
"Billy' had already taken himself of.
Sometime later, when Aunt Dicey
went down to the front gate to see if
Miss Alberta was returning, she heard
some one screaming not far away in
the woods and fancied she heard the
sound of her young mistress voice.
The old woman opened the gate in
considerable alarm and hurried along
the carriage road. The cries came
from the woods to the right. Yes
yes-it was Alberta's voice!
"Oh, mussyi wut de matter
wild dab chile?" cried Aunt Dicey, ter
rihei. She deserted the road and,
with beating heart and 5ated breath,
ran across the woods in the direction
OF the sound. Far away, she saw
them, Acton limp and motionless on
q log, and Alberta bending low over
him. Once the girl stood erect and
uttered a succession of cries which
echoed through the woods, then bent
low over the boy again. Again she
stood up and seemed to try to lit
and carry him in her arms, but only
succeeded in dragging him q Jew feet
over the grass toward q stcond log.
She lay face forward IN the wire-grass
and was sucking the blood from the
wound in Actions foot when Aunt Di-
cey arrived, breathless, on the scene.
They took the insensible boy be.
tween them and laborad with him
across the stretch of pine woods and
up ii read to the se-St old
Aunt Dicey seized hold OF him under
the arms, while Alberta lifted his feet,
ever and anon bending over and suck
ing the frest-starting blood from
the wound as they stumbled along.
They got him there at last
and placed HIM on a lounge in the
sitting-room, Alberta falling upon her
knees without a word and sucking the
blood from the wound again. Mean
while Aunt Dicey RIM out into the
yard and caught a chicken, chopping
it in half with an ak and hurrying
with it back into the house.
"QGit suckin' dab blood, honey;
you swaller some NV it turrickly, =
she said. gently drawing Alberta away.
-.
"You git away an femme put a ha'f
er dis chicken on it. Hill draw out
de pison better'n suckin' data way.
Yes. sub, hit will seen it tried"
II tell you wut you kin do, honey"
she added quickly, 'tyou run call one
de niggers an SEN lin for de dave
ter"
Alberta caught at this idea with
frenzied eagerness. She would 60 her
self; no one else could be trusted to
make sufficient haste. She ran out
and called to a negro plowman just
coming up from the field, and stood
over him with urging words, as he
saddled her horse. Then, once upon
his back and out beyond the carriage
gate, she piled the whip with q merci-
less hand, and rode like the wind
The inhabitants OF the quiet, sleepy
little town ot Wiregrass Ridge, two
miles away, were astonished at sun
- GL~A H. - ArA4tn4 L~~a,